Capitanía General de Santo Domingo
Consists of Puerto Rico Dominant culture: Spanish History Columbus colonized Puerto Rico on his second expedition to the New World, his lieutenant Ponce de Leon was later made governor. The island has always been very strategically located for the Spanish and suffered many attacks because of it. The English and French made several attempts at capturing the island, but the Spanish were able to hold on to it. There were also numerous pirate and privateer attacks, perhaps even more than 'legal' attacks. Because of this several forts were erected on Puerto Rico's shores. After the 1670's and 80's the attacks lessened even more, the Knights that had purchased some of the nearby islands started regular patrols to decrease pirate activity and this benefited Puerto Rico indirectly. All these attacks defined Puerto Rican society. They depend on themselves more than on Spain to save them and are far more independent minded than other Spanish colonies. The Knights Hospitaller are held in very high esteem by the common folk and most of the clergy. To them they're heroes. The Island is, contrary to most Spanish colonies, dominated by the Inquisition but by a bishop that supports the Knights Hospitaller in the Curia. In fact the Bishop of Puerto Rico has petitioned the Spanish crown a few times to sell the island to the Knights. Spain has always declined the request, they aren't too keen on selling a strategically important island full of expensive fortifications. The population of the Island is deeply divided about this issue, the wealthier Merchants and colonial administrators are all very loyal to Spain. They wouldn't want their primary source of income to suddenly sell them and most of them are firmly on the side of the Spanish Inquisition. The lower clergy and common people mostly support the bishop in his wish to transfer the Island to the Knights Hospitaller. Although tensions about this topic are high, people are not too keen on starting an outright rebellion, the Spanish would quickly quell a violent uprising and destroy all hope of getting sold to the Knights. The island's economy isn't blooming at the moment, but they're not doing bad either. The population is currently a bit over 50000 and only about one in ten of those are slaves, which is rather low compared to other Caribbean islands. Points of Interest * San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico, capital of Puerto Rico. * Catedral de San Juan Bautista, San Juan Bautista. A cathedral with a school attached to it where people can learn Latin language, literature, history, science, art, philosophy and theology without needing to pay for it. * Palacio de Santa Catalina, or as it is usually called: La Fortaleza (The Fortress). The unofficial residence of the captain-general of Puerto Rico. It is also an important fortification. * San José Church, San Juan Bautista. An old church that holds the tomb and remains of Juan Ponce de León * San Germán, an inland town with a high population. It's starting to get a nickname as founder of towns, or 'Fundadora de Pueblos', because three towns have already been established by people from this city and with the way the population has increased in the previous years another town will most likely get founded in the near future by people from San Germán. * Coamo, an inland city near the southern coast. The San Blas de Illescas de Coamo church, one of the oldest churches on the island is here. Near the city are a series of natural hot springs with sulphur-rich waters that are believed to give good health. * Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Fortín San Juan de la Cruz, San Juan Bautista. Two forts protecting the entrance to San Juan Bay and the capital that lies there. Cannonfire from both forts creates a crossfire that is hard to penetrate. There is also a huge chain between the forts that can be raised to barricade the bay entrance. * Aguada, or as it is officially called San Francisco de Asís de la Aguada, is a stopover point for ships travelling between Spain and northern Cabralia. Since 1737 a royal decree states that all mail travelling from and towards Cabralia must pass through Aguada's port. The economic benefits of this are one of the reasons the town is booming. If you need Spanish mail, you need to visit Aguada. The city was built near a Franciscan monastery that was established earlier and the Franciscans are still very important in the area. * Añasco, a recently founded town near the western coast of Puerto Rico, it was founded by the rich landowner Don José de Santiago. * Arecibo, an older town on the northern coast. There are several caves in the area, like the Cueva Ventata which has a large mouth overlooking a valley formed by the Rio Grande de Arecibo. And the Cueva del Indio were paintings of prehistoric natives have been found. The city is nicknamed 'Villa del Capitan Correa' (Captain Correa's Village) because of their famous protector that later became their mayor. * Isla de Mona, an island that is part of the Captaincy General. It is a flat plateau surrounded by sea cliffs. There are currently no permanent inhabitants, but the island is a known pirate hideout and the famous pirate Captain Kidd once hid there. The island holds many caves and several of those have Native cave drawings. * El Yunque (The Anvil). A mountain on Puerto Rico that holds religious importance to the Taino. They believe that Yokahú, their lead deity, uses this mountain to divert the stormwinds sent by the god-like entity Jurakán away. The Taino often try to come to this mountain to honor Yokahú, but the Spanish have forbidden this heathen practice. Notable Inhabitants * Antonio de los Reyes Correa, defender and former mayor of Arecibo. He is 75 years old and retired from his mayor duties in 1744. He is still living in the city, people still look to him for advice even though he doesn't hold an official position anymore. Link Sites * San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico * Coamo * Aguada